Daisy Ridley Explains Why Star Wars’ Rey Isn’t A Mary Sue

Rey was the breakout star of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, spawning what’s sure to be endless Halloween costumes this year, not to mention cosplayers at various Comic Cons. She’s a bold and beloved character, yet some fans still consider her a “Mary Sue.”

Recently, actress Daisy Ridley sat down with MTV’s Josh Horowitz for the latest episode of the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, chatting about Rey’s Mary Sue name-callers, as well as Ridley’s abrupt social media departure.

Ridley also further explained her decision to quit social media over the summer. After deactivating her Instagram, she quickly reactivated it to explain her choice: “I just want to be on my phone less! Trying to be more present and all that and got a busy few months ahead so wanted less distractions. … It’s all good! 🙂 I always appreciate the support and love the Instagram community! X.”

She noted that the main reason she ditched was that she didn’t have anything to post, but also, she had been going through a hard time — though “nothing huge” — and just wasn’t feeling herself.

“My whole thing is self-love and stuff like that,” she said, “so when people are not nice, it kind of seems so odd because I never put a filter. I know that I have flaws as everyone does, and I’ve never been shy of hiding them.”